Marching to the beat of drums and the chimes of church bells, 250 people yesterday helped to encircle the historic Lathrop House with chains in a last-ditch effort to save the structure from being moved.

A group of mostly African-American community leaders organized the demonstration outside the house in Sylvania, which supporters and others believe was a stop on the Underground Railroad, a string of safe houses that gave sanctuary to Southern slaves escaping to Canada before the Civil War.

"That house is our survival," said the Rev. Floyd Rose, a former Toledo civil rights leader who lives in Georgia. "We came out of the ruins of that basement and went on to the next way station."

But the demonstrators, who sang while they carried homemade signs and 278 feet of black chains, may be too late to stop the structure from being moved to make way for an expansion of the St. Joseph Parish school, which sits across Main Street.

After a contentious dispute that has lasted more than two years, the city of Sylvania and St. Joseph Catholic Church recently struck a deal that calls for the Lathrop House to be relocated by May 15 to the nearby Harroun Community Park.

The Toledo Area Metroparks has agreed to refurbish the house and run programs highlighting its reported role as a station on the Underground Railroad.

Church officials said yesterday's demonstration does not change their plans.

"We respect what the group did," said Sally Oberski, a spokesman for the Diocese of Toledo, which owns the Lathrop House and its land. "But the fact of the matter is the house is still going to be moved."

Sylvania voters in November halted an attempt by the city to take the house and its property by eminent domain. That would have left the house at its present location.

Nonetheless, leaders of the Alpha Phi Boule fraternal organization, who organized the effort, are still hoping they can sway church leaders.

Organizer Keith Mitchell said the group is awaiting a church response before protesters meet again tomorrow to decide their next course of action. They plan to gather at the First Church of God on Collingwood Boulevard at 6:30 p.m., with an announcement planned at 7:15 p.m.

"I think it just shows this is a much broader issue - it's not just Sylvania," Mr. Mitchell said of the march, which included a cross-section of area residents, including high school students, children, and even some parish members. "We're talking about American history here."

Protesters first gathered in the Harroun Community Park shelter house, where speakers stressed the importance of not moving the house and altering its location along a nearby ravine.

The site was described as a place of God as well as an example of good relations among blacks and whites.

Marchers then walked toward the Lathrop House as the church's bells chimed at noon. They were greeted by Robert Lathrop, a relative of the house's original owners, who waved at them from the house's front porch.

They carried signs that read: "History is Sacred," "Don't Destroy the Path to Freedom," and "Relocation is Desecration." When they arrived at the house and dropped chains on its lawn, they recited "The Lathrop House Pledge."

"It's very moving, and I'm so glad I came," said Carol Hill, 51, of Toledo, who got involved in the effort for the first time yesterday. "I want to support this and help encourage all of America to appreciate the history of slavery."

Across the street, parishioners streamed into St. Joseph's

Church for their own celebration - the religious rite of Confirmation.

Some parents and their children, dressed up to attend Mass, stood and watched the nearby event from their parking lot, sidewalks, and through a large window at the front of the church.

Jim Floyd, business manager for St. Joseph, said the ongoing activities did not take away from the church's own spiritual undertaking.

"It was a significantly important day in our parish for the kids who were receiving Confirmation," Mr. Floyd said. "That's what we were really focusing on."

He added that he did not think the protest would change church leaders' minds about the house.

Contact Kim Bates at: kimbates@theblade.com or 419-337-7780.

First Published April 4, 2004, 11:15 a.m.